Happy Earth Day 2021

Good morning and HAPPY EARTH DAY!

What an incredible planet we live on and rely on. I took a geography course when I was in university where we studied the Gaia Hypothesis (also Gaia Paradigm/Theory/Principles) which tells us that the earth is one living entity and that everything on it and in it is linked in a life cycle of interactions that cause our planet to self-regulate to ensure it remains hospitable.

This concept was very new to me then (a long time ago now!) and continues to fascinate me now. You can learn more through this interview of James Lovelock who proposed this theory. (This is a sobering video, FYI). Lovelock’s concept requires us to consider that everything we do may have an impact on the self-regulation of the planet, seen through climate change, and almost everything we do during our day has the potential to be the ‘wrong’ thing when we think about waste, pollution, emissions, etc. That can be an overwhelming thought, and it can create a sense of inertia. How can we as individuals really make a difference?

I heard about something this morning called the ‘overview effect’ which is experienced by those who go into space and look back at the earth. The experience of seeing our Earth as a small and fragile planet, a “Blue Marble” created a deep appreciation of the Earth in those who see it from space. Sadly, we can’t all fly into space to experience this first-hand to ‘get the picture’ about the importance of the earth. However, there is no shortage of information to provide us with a sense of urgency about the Earth’s fragility and the importance of its well being.

This year’s theme for Earth Day is ‘Restore Our Earth’ – which is a wonderful rallying cry for all of us to consider what we CAN do to contribute to a healthier planet. Earlier this year, our Prime Minister committed $55M to an initiative towards stopping further environmental degradation at the One Planet Summit. Yes, it is going to take large government actions to make a difference, and it will require individual actions, too: don’t wait to try a few of these 101 Ways to Love the Earth. Google’s Doodle today is a little video showing people planting trees – something all of us can do, in our back yard or by donating to a tree planting initiative.

Truly, where would we be without the Earth’s life-giving resources? During this pandemic, I’ll venture that we have all spent more time out in nature for our physical and mental wellbeing. With that in mind, at minimum, all of us should find some moments today to feel an immense amount of gratitude for this Earth we rely on. I challenge all of you to get outside and put your bare foot on the ground (it is a THING) to feel your connection with the planet today, Earth Day.

Have a great end of week!